1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an auger hopper seal for a pivotable auger.
2. Description of the Background Art
Augers are mechanical devices that are commonly used for transporting and handling materials. One such material is grain, but various other materials may be moved by augers, such as fertilizers, foodstuffs, chemicals, granular materials, powders, slurries, etc. An auger moves material through the rotation of a helically-shaped flighting encase in a tube. The material is pushed along the bottom of the tube by the rotating flighting.
Augers are widely used in agriculture for moving and handling grain. One popular application is an auger attached to a movable grain tank mounted to a wagon, truck, harvester, or other wheeled conveyance. The auger may be used to unload the grain tank. In order to make such a device safe and easy to use over roads, the auger may be repositionable so that the auger is stored against the grain tank or conveyance in some appropriate manner. In addition, the auger may be repositionable so that the auger output may be directed to a desirable location. This may include a vertical pivot movement wherein the auger may pivot vertically through a range of positions for unloading and for transportation. The auger should not spill or lose any material contents either during repositioning or in any available position of the auger. Of special concern is that no material contents be lost during movement, such as in road travel, of a wagon having an auger in a storable road position.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for an auger hopper seal that is capable of being vertically pivoted without a loss of material contents.